Entry #2

A while ago the phone rang and it was Betty from the bank telling me my Euros were here. "Oh, thank you," I said trying not to sound excited as a kid. "I will be up there this afternoon to get them. What time do you close?" "Seven o’ clock, " she said. "Right," I answered. "I’ll be up there before then." Well, who was I kidding! I was up there in fifteen minutes and it was only that long because since the bank is a branch in a grocery store, I asked Fred if there was anything we needed! I just LOVE getting foreign money because it means the excursion is almost here!

So, I got to the bank and there was a short line. Twice the two other tellers asked if they could help me and both times I said, "NO thank you. I need to see Betty." Finally she was free, said hello to me and then asked me to sit down while she went off the get the money from the safe, I assume. She brought it back and counted out the Euros to me. Then I had to write a check to pay for them minus the $10 I gave her when I ordered them. Apparently you can’t order Euros without a small deposit. Then, out came the travelers’ checks in Euros too. The annoying thing about travelers’ checks is that you have to write your signature on them before you leave the bank so that was a bit time-consuming. Finally, I wrote a check to cover the cost of the traveler’s checks and I was done. So, now I have three envelopes to drool over — traveler’s checks in one, Euros in the second, and in the third, the record of the numbers the checks are which should NEVER be kept with the checks!

Then I wandered around the store and got some lemon juice which Fred puts in his water, some white sliced bread for more BLT sandwiches and an apple and cinnamon cake that was on sale. Because I forgot to write it on my list, I completely forgot the buy-one-get-one-free potato chips Fred had asked me to look for!

I almost forgot to mention that I walked up to get my hair cut this morning, and on the way home got some stuff from the drug store. I was pleased with myself because although this was, I would say, less than half a mile, it was all UPHILL! And since we have no wimpy hills here in Vermont… Actually, when I did get home, I felt I needed a Tylenol for the first time in a couple of weeks. Not only was my left leg hurting a bit but so were the calves of both legs! And now I have medication for a urinary tract infection and athlete’s foot in case I have either in Italy! Long time readers may remember I had a UTI the year I went to England for my niece’s wedding. But in England, I didn’t have to explain what was wrong with me with the aid of a dictionary and I will if I go to the doctor in Italy! So, I am trying to plan for every eventuality

Ok, I am off to finish reading my book.

QUOTATIONS:

"Step by step. I can’t think of any other way of accomplishing anything."

Michael Jordan

If you have the courage to begin, you have the courage to succeed.

— David Viscott